5 Months Later…
"How are classes?"
"Good. What about you?"
"Okay. This Short Fiction class I'm taking is interesting." Qwerty smiled as her fingers laced with his.
"I can't believe we're junior now. It's a bit unreal."
"What's that mean?" Tyler chuckled.
"I thought I would've dropped out by now." Qwerty said as her head tilted to the side thinking about it.
"Nice." Tyler said smirking. Qwerty shrugged.
"I'll see you later." She said then pecked him on the lips quickly. "Tell the boys and Whitney I said hey."
The last few months had been hard to deal with for all of them. First Ryan then Kat. Nobody was the same, but they moved on or at least some of them did. Pogue went back
"Hey." Reid greeted solemnly. "I know it's been awhile. Sorry. Turns out that I magically passed sophomore year and am a junior this year."
There was no quip. He expected some sort of joke on his smarts. There was only silence as he stared at the gravestone. A little stone cherub sat on top of it looking down at the stone lovingly.
Katherine Pandora
October 8th 1993-May 2nd 2012
At the bottom of the box was her.
Reid touched the letters. He thought that this time he'd be able to be strong this time, but his eyes watered disagreeing with him. He licked his dry lips and looked down at the ground. The sky overhead got cloudy quickly.
"I should go. I have work in a few hours. I miss you." He mumbled. Getting to his feet, he walked off. The heavy feeling in his heart were still there. They didn't leave like everybody said they would. They lingered and made him feel dead too.
"Have you seen Reid?" Caleb asked as Tyler settled on the couch.
"No." Caleb sighed heavily. With that answer he easily knew where he was.
They didn't talk about it much. When the subject had a way of coming up they'd start up a new subject and Reid would storm off with his hand balled into fists.
"How are classes?"
"Classes." Tyler answered. "I don't know. Business isn't that exciting."
"Hey." Both young men turned seeing Whitney coming down the stairs. She smiled lightly at the two and sat down beside Caleb.
"How's Sara?" she asked.
"She doing fine. Harvard is good to her."
"Why don't you go?" Whitney asked.
Caleb caught himself quickly. He opened his mouth almost ready to call her by her sister's name and tell her that he'd already told her why. That this is just the place he ended up in.
"Friends are here." He replied. Whitney nodded the laid her head on his shoulder. She thought about Kat often her things had been given to Whitney. She got rid of half of it because she couldn't stand to be around Kat that much. She loved her sister and always would, but it was a lot to take. Thinking about her every day, hour, minute, second. Whitney kept the mirror of the vanity across the room covered. Looking at her reflection was hard because she didn't see herself.
It was until well into the evening that Reid came home. He didn't say hello, he just went upstairs to his room. Tyler, Caleb, Qwerty and Whitney ate in silence.
"It's been five months." Qwerty said.
"I'll go talk to him." Whitney volunteered. "He hasn't really talked to anyone. He's been all focused on work and sturdies."
"Whit, I don't know if that's such a good idea." Tyler said.
"Someone has to." She said and got up from the table. Tyler sighed heavily. Everyone knew this wouldn't end well, but there was no point in stopping her. She had her mind set.
"Reid?" Whitney opened his door a little and peeked in.
"What's up?" he asked. He was lying down on his bed.
"I was just wondering how long you'll be alienating the world." Whitney said point blank. She stepped halfway into the room. It was dark, the only thing illuminating it was his desk lamp. Reid smirked and sat up swinging his legs over the edge of the bed. He didn't say anything. "You can't keep doing this to yourself. They're gone. You guys tried everything you could."
"We shouldn't have let her move in here." Whitney looked at him flaberghasted.
"You never would've met her and you probably would still be cursed! Would you rather that you never met her?" Whitney asked.
"I don't know." He mumbled. "It would probably be better than the great big hole I feel in my chest."
Whitney felt her fingers itching to grab the closest object and throw it at him.
"She gave you things…I probably don't understand. She wasted her life away helping you and your friends and now you're wishing you'd never met her." She said coldly.
"None of this would've happened if she hadn't!" he exclaimed getting to his feet.
"So you'd give away all of the good too?"
"You don't understand Kat!" he screamed looking at her. He shut his mouth tightly and turned away from her so she wouldn't see the regret in his eyes. Whitney's hand unclenched from the tight fist it was in from his outburst. "I'm sorry Whitney."
"I miss her too, you know. I just don't wish that I'd never known her. Otherwise I wouldn't be alive." Whitney said solemnly. She turned and walked out of his room and to hers instead.
She made her way over to the vanity table and sat down. Reaching up, she slowly pulled the cloth over the mirror down. Her reflection stared back at her just as sorrow filled. She opened the top drawer and pulled out a white candle and a lighter. Setting it in front of her, she lit it and looked at her reflection.
"I miss you." She mumbled staring at her reflection. "I wish you were here, I'd switch places with you in a heartbeat sis."
She talked to her reflection a little more knowing little about the outsider listening and smiling on the inside.
"Careful what you wish for."
A crack across the sky awoke her making her eyes shoot open and her heart beat erratically. She coughed hard, her throat hurting as she breathed in and out. The darkness she was engulfed in sent panic rushing through her veins.
"Wh-where am I!?" she yelled. Reaching out in the darkness her hand hit something hard. She felt around. She was surrounded…blocked in. "Help!"
She struck out trying to get free of the prison she laid in. the air was thick making it hard to get free, but a crack gave her salvation. Then another hit above led to another crack. She closed her eyes quickly seeing the darkness cave in on her. Her only thought was to get free. Reaching through the cold dampness she crawled.
A hand touched the air muddy and wet. It pulled from the earth till she laid facing up to the dark sky which poured down on her. She sat up after calming her breathing.
"Where am I?" she cried. Long locks of her hair stuck to her face. Looking up, she gasped and fell backwards unable to understand what she saw. "No."
Katherine Pandora
October 8th 1993-May 2nd 2012
At the bottom of the box was her.
She touched it and shivered in horror. She was dead…
"No, not possible." She mumbled.
She stumbled to her feet and took off the high heels. Throwing them aside, she turned around and ran between headstones trying to get out. When she made it to the gate she stopped and bent over trying to breath. The black dress she wore was soaked from the rain. Mud was smeared on her from head to toe.
"Where am I?" she whimpered. She looked back briefly before walking out of the cemetery. She walked along the sidewalk holding herself as the night chill swept over her. There was nobody around. From the looks of it she was on a college campus. She swallowed hard.
"Whitney are you okay?"
Whitney clutched the toilet bowl for dear life as she wretched in it again. Caleb opened the door and knelt down beside her. She'd gone paler than a ghost. He rubbed her back soothingly.
"I don't' know what's wrong." She said once she got the chance to breath. "I was mumbling to myself about wishing ot have her back and now I feel sick."
"You can't hold on. It'll do this to you."
"She gave her life for me." Whitney said, tears brimmed her eyes making them glisten. Then all of the sudden they glazed over and she swayed a little.
"Whitney?"
"On a sidewalk." She mumbled. "Why? Oh god. No. it couldn't' be. How can this be?"
"What?" Caleb said confused. Whitney reached out and grabbed his forearm. Her nails dug into the skin. Small red droplets formed around her nails. "Whitney."
"What's happening?" her voice trembled. She let go instantly and stood then. "Everything is so muddy."
Caleb followed her as she rushed out of the bathroom and made her way towards the stairs. He caught halfway down as she nearly fell. She let go when they made it to the bottom. Qwerty and Tyler had retreated to Tyler's room.
Whitney swung open the front door and bolted outside not bothering with shoes. She ignored the cold shivers brought on by the wet ground and drizzling. Caleb followed her as she darted down the sidewalk. She ran trying to get to where she was seeing before her eyes.
She and Caleb ran around the next corner and Whitney was knocked off her feet having collided with somebody. She shook her head and looked up at Caleb who was looking stunned at the person she'd run into. Whitney directed her attention to where he stared. Her mouth hung open agape instantly.
"Whitney? Is that you?" Whitney sat there frozen as her identical reflection scrambled over to her and squeezed her tightly.
"Kat." Caleb mumbled. She looked up at Caleb with a confused look.
"Do I know you? Are you dating my sister?
The saying on Kat's tombstone might sound funky. It's known that at the bottom of Pandora's box was hope. That's why i wrote that. I hope it makes a bit more sense if it didn't before. Seems like things are heating up again for the group. Review?